Change of Heart
by HyperChrome
Summary: The world has changed. He had changed, he had become one of those...creatures. She was a survivior and he felt the need to protect her, at all costs. HunterXZoey
1. What the Hell?

This is my first fanfic ever...so.....well just tell me if you guys like it!!! Flames and any other constructive critism will be greatly appreciated!!! Anywhoo on with the story!!!

NOTE: This takes place 2 weeks after the infection started like at the beggining of the first Left 4 Dead......

Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead, but if I did that would be freakin AWESOME!!! :D O the idea about why the witch is a witch belongs to PETRA ENDER! Thanks!!

**Chapter 1:**

It was terrifying, to see a place you had grown-up in destroyed in a matter of two weeks. To know that all your loved ones had parished by the hands of those....creatures or taken their own lives. To walk down the streets of the neighborhoods you had played in and have to watch every move you make or it could be the death of yourself.

Zoey, Bill, Francis, and Louis saw the " Tank " coming at them along with the horde. It crashed through the zombies like they were nothing and grabbed a few and beat them to death all while running down the street toward the survivors.

"Run or shoot?" Louis questioned in a state of panic, his voice escalated at recieving no answer. "RUN OR SHOOT?!?"

"Both!" Bill replied while firing at the tank and starting to run toward the nearest alleyway.

They could here the pounding of the tanks arms hitting the ground and the screechs and coughs of the hunters and smokers. Francis whiped around as they made it to a fire escape.

"Come on..,..come on." He said pointing his gun toward the turn in the alleyway they had just come from. The tank burst around the corner and grabbed the nearest zombie. Before Francis could react the Tank slammed the zombie into him knocking him on top of the car. He felt the breath escape his lungs and watched as the Tank raised up his huge arms to finish him.

Bill ran toward him and fired the SMG into the Tanks face. Outraged the Tank roared and slammed his arms toward Bill. He managed to jump out of the way just in time and the Tank took down the brick wall behind him instead. Suddenly there was shouting from above.

" Go! I hold them off!" Zoey screamed as she shot, the zombie closest to the fire escape, head off with the two Desert Eagles she wielded in her hands. Bill and Francis didn't have to be told twice as they took off toward the fire escape. The Tank finally realizing he missed his target, ripped a huge chunk of concrete from the earth and chunked it at Bill who nearly avoided it.

The Tank jumped and grabbed the fire escape and began to climb, reaching up Bill just managed to climb on the roof before the Tank pulled that part of the fire escape down. Zoey was to late to react as the Tank reached up and grabbed the part of fire escape she was standing on. As she was thrown backwards roughly against the hard steel the two desert eagles were ripped from her hands and fell to the ground below. She pushed against the rail and made a running jump as the fire escape was jerked from the wall.

"FRANCIS..." she cried as she reached for his hand. Their fingers connected for half a second before she felt gravity pulling her down and heard Francis, Bill, and Louis crying out her name. She knew what was coming and she also knew she wasn't ready for it as she felt the cold hand of death clench her heart.

**Hunter's POV**

He had watched the whole city fall apart in a matter of two weeks. He had watched more people than he could count parish at the hands of those.....creatures. He felt irony hit him as he realized he was one of those creatures. No he wasn't like them. His body didn't decay, he didn't need to have blood or fresh meat to survive, he didn't walk around with only the thoughts of his next meal in his head, He could think he still had the intellgience from the human life the others did not.

Even though he could not recall what his human life had been like, he still could understand the language the human language and most off the the objects found around him. His body had changed when he had turned, it wasn't like the weaker creatures or the long tongued one's, or the fat ones, or the Tank. No it was much more painful more unbearable then the rest. He had watched the other ones transform and they transformed by their physical apperance.

If they were buff, they would become a Tank, if they were tall, a long tongue, if they were fat, a pukey fat one, if they had lost a child while pregnant, a witch and if they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, a hunter. That's what he had become, but he considered himself a special hunter, one that could do more than kill. He still had to sleep, and...use the facililities unlike the rest. The pain of transforming had been a moment in his new life he would never forget. When his spine was twisted and tugged into different angles until it finally became curved and how his leg bones were snapped and formed into a new position so he could pounce. The pain of his finger nails growing at incredible speed and becoming thicker and as hard as steel. His two canines being ripped from his mouth and fangs tearing through the gums to take their place. He would never forget it and would hope he would never have to feel that kind of pain ever again.

Suddenly he heard it the screeching of another Hunter and the multiple gun shots a few seconds later. He cringed as he heard the car alarm pierce the air around him, reaching up he covered his ears, to block out the noise. Not five seconds later did he here the roar of the horde and a Tank somewhere in their mist. Jumping from building to building he came to a skidding halt as he saw the humans running and firing their weapons at the infected.

It didn't bother him, they could die for all he cared, but as his eyes caught sight of the young woman he felt something tug at his heart. He didn't know where it came from, as the feeling grew into a need too protect her.

"What the hell?" he said aloud, even though to human ears it would sound like a bunch of growls. He could just let her die, but he knew he would feel the unbearable guilt later and there was no way he would kill her, he'd never killed a human and he never would....purpossly.

Jumping to the building beside the fire escape he watched the older male barely avoid getting knocked off the fire escape as the Tank grabbed it. His heart slowed as he watched the Tank grab the fire escape and rip it off the building along with the girl. FRANCIS!!! he heard her sream as she reached for the biker dudes hand. Whoosh!!! She went sailing down to the ground as her hand was ripped from his.

With out a second thought to his own health and safety, he pushed against the side of the building with his legs and flew toward her falling form. Wrapping his arms around her waist he slammed against the ground and they both went rolling and skidding across the concrete. His world was spinning and his sense were jumbled before after about twenty seconds he regained his composure.

The Hunter looked up to see the girl pushing herself to her feet and wobbaling slighty. The Tank suddenly was right behind her and reaching its arm out to smack her and kill her. Pushing against the ground he pounced on the Tanks chest and started clawing frantically and hoping it would already be almost dead. Of course though he had no such luck, the Tank easly grabbed the Hunter with his massive hand and began to squeeze.

He felt the agony tear through his body as his bones were strained tothe point of almost breaking and the air was squished from his lungs. The next thing that happened though made him screech out in pure agony. As the Tank squeezed him his finger slipped down and it suddenly snapped the femur of the Hunter's right leg. As the pain shot through his body he saw the edges of his vision become black and he knew he couldn't handle much more.

The gun shots tore through the air in a fury as they all connected with the Tanks face. The Tank made a lunge for the girl,but one more shot to the face stop him dead, literally. As the Tank's grip released,the Hunter immediatly rolled outof the way in order to not be crushed as the Tank crashed to the ground. He looked up to see his savior standing there with two desert eagles in their hands and fixing their messed up ponytail. Coming to his senses he realized it was the girl he had saved from falling to her death.


	2. Karma's a Bitch

_**Well It would seem that I have been gone quite awhile and disappointed anyone who was reading this fic… I'm sorry. I actually thought I had already uploaded the second chapter along time ago, but I guess not. Oh well since I'm stuck at home I might as well try to get as far as I can with this story…**_

_**I hope you readers enjoy I know some of you have been waiting **__**J**_

**Disclaimer: -sigh- I Do Not own Left 4 Dead…yet. JK :D**

**Chapter 2:**

"_Where do we go from here?"_

Those were Zoey's and the Hunter's exact thoughts as they stared at each other awkwardly. Zoey contemplating on whether she should just blow the Hunter away and feel guilty after she reunited with her companions or just quickly make her escape while he was injured.

While the Hunter on the other hand was having similar thoughts, but perhaps not so violent ones. The first one in his mind consisted of "I gotta get the fuck out of here!"

There was nothing standing between her pistols and the area between his eyes. It could be over in a second and Zoey realized this as she easily raised her pistol to end it. A shout from above broke her concentration and made her almost jump out her skin.

"ZOEY ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Francis's big-mouth yelled from on top of apartment building. Zoey eyes hardened as she glared up at Francis, but slightly smiled in relief.

"Not if you don't shut your big damn mouth…" She muttered under her breath and then replied with a shout of yes and yelling that she would make her own way up. She didn't want to be a burden to them and make them put their lives in anymore danger than they already had.

It wouldn't be the first time they had protected her over themselves and been injured because of it. Sure it made her mad when Francis's said it was because women couldn't protect themselves, but she knew he was lying and what he really meant was because they had become a family. Being in a zombie apocalypse with people for two weeks after watching so many die will do that to you. Even though she told herself not to get attached, sometimes you just need friends to be there for you and have your back. That's why the Hunter had to go. He may have saved her life, but he was a threat to her friends safety and just another one of them damn monsters.

Her determined blue eyes shifted back to look at the Hunter only to spot asphalt. Her heartbeat became erratic as she looked frantically around for any sign of him…._"Wait him? I mean it…." _She tried to refocus her thoughts on finding him and it didn't take long for her to see his foot sticking out from behind a trashcan. Leaving was the best option at the moment, but something was drawing her to him.

"_Damn it Zoey IT not HIM…never get attached…" _Rounding the trashcan with her pistol ready she turned only to be met with a lone VAN shoe and a trash bag. A sharp growl in the quite night broke her from her thoughts. She wheeled around just in time to have the Hunter's body collide with hers and knock her ruthlessly down on the concrete.

"_That hoodie wearin' ass tricked me." _She thought as she took a moment to absorb the situation.

The struggle began from there as her eyes snapped open at the impact and she thrashed violently trying to find a way of escape. The pressure on her pinned arms slightly increased and she finally noticed the Hunter wasn't straddling her he was laying on her. Forming the connection in her mind her foot swung out and slammed into the Hunter's right leg without regret.

The pressure on her wrists grew so great to the point where she could barely stand to swallow the cry of pain. The Hunter on top of her let out a yelp followed by a snarl that made her wish she hadn't kicked him.

She could see his blood-red eyes close and hear a whimper as she slammed her foot into his leg again, but it didn't last long before the claws of his left hand were pressed against her neck, itching to tear into her flesh.

Finally she let her body relax and she accepted what was about to happen…hell she was surprised she survived as long as she had. A moment passed and she felt the claws graze her neck and retreat followed by the other hand gripping her wrist and the weight of him pressing against her.

She didn't hesitate to bring the pistol up and crack it against the Hunter's skull, who's body immediately went limp and fell heavily on top of her and she felt her head collide roughly with the concrete and everything went black…

"_Karma's a bitch…" _Was her last thought.

_**Hmm…it wasn't very long, my bad. I'm trying to get it out there, but I wanted to end it with that sentence so…I guess I'll just make the next chapter a longer one. Review Plz it inspires me to write more! **_


	3. Messin With The Witch

**Okay Here we go again with another chapter! :D If you guys don't like anything just tell me. It's been hard to write this story because I've become hooked on Assassin's Creed and finding fics about Alta****ïr. So sorry if it takes me awhile to get chapters up, but I can only write when I have inspiration! :} Anyways enough about me…on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: No Left 4 Dead is not mine…-insert frowny face here-**

**Chapter 3:**

The pain in her head was a small comparison to the horrible smell that entered her senses when she came into consciousness. Breathing through her nose was sickening and breathing through her mouth wasn't much better.

Finally cracking her eyes upon she was assaulted with the face of Francis glaring down at her. She saw his eyes immediately light up and felt it his arms release from under her and drop her on her ass.

She left out a cry of surprise and immediately began yelling at Francis. "FRANCIS YOU ASSHOLE! YOU COULDN'T JUST SET ME DOWN!"

"Well sorry, but I've been carrying you for an hour and you were making my arms sore." Francis stated arrogantly as he casually began to walk away pulling the auto-shotgun off of his back and around in front of him.

There was a moment of deathly quietness before Zoey's icy voice penetrated the air. "Are you calling me fat?" Francis froze where he was standing and his whole body became rigid, as Bill and Louis took a wise step away from Zoey, who seemed to have a dark aura forming around her.

Francis turned swiftly around and began stuttering. "I…no…that's…I-I…just-wait…err!" Sweat was beginning to form on his forehead and he was trying to unnoticeably make his way around the corner. Zoey continued to calmly stare at him, until he took of running down the tunnel and disappeared around the corner.

Slowly a smile formed on her lips and she took in her surroundings. "No wonder it smells like butt-cheese…" She grimaced as she looked at the dank subway station that surrounded her with who knows God what was living down here.. Her stomach churned as she immediately redirected her attention to Bill and Louis who were picking up the three pipe bombs on the corpse of a dead soldier nearby.

The smile died on her face as she stared at the mangled body. It was obvious what had killed him ,as she could see the deep claw marks littering his body and face. One leg was completely absent from the scene and she could only hope that that it was tore off after he passed. The contents of his stomach were spilled on his lap and appeared to gnawed on and dried out. Reaching out to the body she grabbed the dog tags around his neck and yanked them off.

"_Ronald M. Hannigan a.k.a. The Boulder" _

Zoey couldn't help, but smile as she quoted a character from a cartoon. "More like the pebble." Louis looked over at her. "What?" Her head snapped over to him and her face slightly heated as she realized she was talking to herself

"Nothing I was just thinking out loud." Laughing nervously she grabbed the pipe bomb from Bill and started walking the direction Francis headed. Avoiding the piles of bodies on the floor she came around the bend only to see Francis venting as he stared at the Witch blocking their path. He laughed as he kept flicking the light on his shotgun on and off pointing in her direction. She would become infuriated and begin to rise only to slowly cry again as Francis clicked the light off.

Zoey glared at him as she smacked him hard in the back of the head when earned a string of curse words from him all pointed toward her. She looked down at her pistols only to find she had 20 bullets left, not near enough to last through a horde. She looked over at Francis who was still sending her death glares.

He immediately caught on to her look and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm out." He stated calmly and went back to messing with the witch. Her eyes traveled to Bill and Louis, who were just rounding the bend, and she became more frustrate as she stared at the UZI'S in their had.

Suddenly a noise in front of her caught her and everyone else's attention as a Boomer rounded the corner behind the Witch and stalked toward them. Everyone thoughts immediately centered in the same bubble and Bill let lose on the Boomer with his Uzi.

Chunks flew as the Boomer exploded and the slime that was his blood covered the Witch and made her stumble forward. Francis, Louis, Zoey, and Bill were sprinting toward the door, behind the bile-covered Witch, when she let out an ear-shattering scream. Her red-orange eyes snapped to the survivors and she began her chase after them swinging her claws wildly.

As the Witch closer she picked her target staring at Louis. He let out a yell of panic and quickened his pace, effectively passing Francis. Francis stared daggers at his back. "I hate black people." He stated in one fluid motion as he turned and cracked his shotgun across the Witch's face as harder as he could. The impact sent her reeling and blood burst from her lip and nose as she let out a cry of pain.

Jumping at the chance Francis went to land another blow to the side of her head, but swallowed hard when she grabbed the shotgun and yanked on it.

"Francis, what the hell are you doing?" Bill asked aggressively as they were all piled at the entrance of the door waiting for him. Francis glared at the Witch as he tried to rip the shotgun from her hand.

"I want my damn shotgun." He said a vein popping out on his temple as he pulled as hard as he could.

"Francis your favorite shotguns in here the though…the pump shotgun!" Zoey yelled grabbing the shotgun and holding it up. Francis eyes began to sparkle. "HELL YEAH!" He yelled excitedly as he released the shotgun, which caused the Witch to fall on her ass, and took off toward the safe house door at the end of the caboose.

Slamming the door shut behind them they heard the Witch have a spas attack before her screams became distant and finally non-existent. "Thank God, that's over!" Louis said smiling and sitting down in the floor. Three nods of agreement were returned before they each sat down.

"So why did we not just wait on the roof for the night?' Zoey asked as she looked at Bill.

"To dangerous kiddo, Smoker's are everywhere and a Hunter could easily climb up there." Bill stated as he reloaded his gun.

"Besides after we came down and got your ass there was no point in going back up. How the hell did you get knocked out again?" Francis said pulling a dirty magazine from his pocket and beginning to look at it.

Zoey was startled for a second as she recalled the whole ordeal with the Hunter early and was surprised she had almost forgot about it. She laughed "I slipped." She said smiling and scratching the back of her head.

"Your lucky that hunter ran off instead of killing you…" Louis said looking at her worriedly and then letting a smile pass his lips.

"Yeah, I guess I am…" Zoey looked down at her feet and thought about the moment the Hunter had defended her from the Tank.

"_Was I really just his next meal?" _Her eyes narrowed as she shook her head and told herself it was over and done with and it didn't matter. Calmly taking in a breath she leaned back against the wall and began chatting with Bill and Louis, only earning annoyed grunts from Francis, whose was transfixed in his magazine.

There was barely any room to move as they all fought to claim a place to sleep for the next day or so. Normally they would keep moving, but the day had been long and hard and it was easier to rest. Zoey grinned widely as she climbed up the side of the of the counter and pulled into a place between the cabinet and the ceiling. Laughing at Francis, who grumbled about if a Tank got in they would all die except her, her eyes began to grow heavy with exhaustion.

It hadn't been more than an hour when her bright blue eyes snapped open in fear at the sudden growl she heard. Glancing up she saw a movement through the tiny window in the top of the caboose and she immediately sank lower into her hiding spot.

Something about that growl sounded familiar…

**Okay it's not exactly following the No Mercy campaign, but it gets boring when they go the same places every time. Also the caboose looks like the one on the Death Toll campaign when your at the Train Yard. It makes me mad when Smoker's grab you through those little windows.**

**The idea of the place to sleep was because me and my cousin always try to get up there when there's a Tank, even though it's impossible.**

**O and you get a big hug if you're the first to guess what cartoon the quote Zoey said is from! :D I hope you guys enjoyed, I'll update again soon. Plz Review! ;)**


	4. The Screamer

**Alright guys…I am very disappointed…:/ Reviews give me inspiration and on the last chapter I received like two reviews. For those of you who reviewed that chapter: "THANKS! I LOVE YOU!" For those of you who didn't: Shame, Shame, Shame…No reviews makes it hard to know if I'm doing a good job or not. If you hate it REVIEW! If you love it REVIEW! I gotta be able to work with something…**

**I wanted to say "Dude why didn't you review sooner" to ****Numbuh six-sixtysix****! Not your fault it's mine, but the way you put that it didn't even cross my mind to have it turn out that way. It would have been awesome and I actually thought about going back and deleting the whole third chapter just to make the story turn in that direction…but I figured since it was already out there I would have to continue it how it is. If you guys want, read the review and tell me if I should go back and write the story that way. If enough people want me to I will…:D**

**Review by ****Numbuh six-sixtysix****:**

_Wait, so the Hunter is unconscious on top of Zoey, who is also unconscious, and they are both in the middle of the street?I mean, sure, most zombies won't kill steal (and being on top of the body is a pretty clear sign), but if another Tank comes along, she's screwed. Also, if the survivors spot that... Well, she looks dead, it's quite clear what killed her - they'll just leave. Francis won't want to, Lewis might not like it, but Bill will convince them it's the best thing (military training and all that). Hm - I think I quite like how you've set this chapter up. With the exception of it being so ridiculously short, of course. Do please update soon._

**Disclaimer: Lolz I almost forgot it! L4D is not mine…**

**Chapter 4:**

Sleeping more than three hours was never really possible during a zombie apocalypse. Either you would wake-up to the sound of someone else screaming or you would wake-up to your own. Nightmares plagued everyone, no matter how tough you were, once you fell asleep you were alone in your own mind with no one there to comfort you. So as your walking through the streets of your old neighborhoods and fighting off horde after horde of the undead, those hours you lay lying awake begin to catch up with you and you start to lose the energy to go on.

That's what was happening to all of them. She knew because she could see it in their eyes as they loaded their guns and opened the safe house door to continue their journey. It wasn't even quite dawn, but it didn't matter what time of day it was because the sky was always overflowing with gray clouds. Whether it be the smoke from all the burning buildings or just the infection itself, it had been hovering there for a couple of weeks and only glimpses of the sun had been see.

Zoey herself was beginning to feel like a vampire, as her skin grew paler and her eyes always had dark circles underneath them. All she needed now were the fangs and she would be one of her favorite horror movie creatures.

When they had first came together as a group they moved like the wind. They tore threw any infected in their way and would sleep all night and be fully rested, but now it was different. Zoey was scared about how bad they would all be next week, if they survived that long. It didn't matter right now though. Right now they needed to make it to the next safe house and get out of this godforsaken city.

The air around them was beginning to chill more and more these days and before long it would be below freezing. The light clothes they wore did nothing to block the icy wind as they continued silently on their way. Just as they were all beginning to shiver and they're teeth beginning to chatter, it had started to drizzle. If the mood of the survivors was bad before it was pissed now.

"Fuck." Was the only word that left Francis' mouth as they had continued to trudge down the street.

It didn't take long for Zoey to notice something was wrong as she looked around her. Normally there would be random zombies stumbling around and Francis' yells of excitement as he blew one away with his shotgun. But, today there was nothing…Not a single trace of any infected in the area, only the deserted street stretched out before them.

"_Maybe the zombies are cold." _Zoey thought as she imagined a certain hunter shaking himself like a dog and then curling in a ball by the fire. She laughed and caught the rest of the groups attention and she quickly looked away from their confused stares.

Staring through an apartment window she tried to catch a glimpse of anything moving, but once again nothing was present. She was just about to voice her thoughts to the guys when a long, ear-shattering, scream broke the calm air and suddenly all hell broke lose. The undead began pouring out of windows and doorways, jumping over cars, and knocking each other down as they sprinted toward the unknown individual screaming.

Zoey slammed her hands over her ears following the rest of the groups example. The scream continued to resound throughout the area and seemed to have no intent on stopping. Throwing their heads in every direction, the survivors desperately looked for the source so they could kill it and stop the screaming. Suddenly Louis voice rang out over the scream as he pointed toward the top of the apartment building closest to them.

A figure just barely visible sat teetering on the edge of the roof, rocking back and forth. Secured tightly around its body was a blood-stained straightjacket that kept its arms restrained so that there was no way for it to attack. It's dark black skinny jeans and Converse were a surprising comparison to the straightjacket. The long, black, matted hair hung around its face and was sticking out in every direction. Only one eye was visible and the sickening mucus color of it made Zoey shudder as it's whole eye swiveled completely around in its head and went back to normal.

Something was terrifying about this infected and it's cries seemed to attracting all the undead in the area.

"We have to shut this fucking thing up!" Francis said as he walked toward the building intending to walk up there and shoot it.

"Wait…" Zoey whispered as she stared at the shadowy figure leaping from roof to roof heading toward the screaming figure.

**Hunter POV:**

"_Why the hell am I following them…umm…her?"_

The Hunter growled as this thought ran through his head. When she had knocked him unconscious he had woken a few minutes later only to be shot at by the rest of her group. He had barely managed to escape and he knew one of the bullets fired from that damn shotgun had almost taken his head clean off.

Hunched over his whole body shook from the biting cold and the drizzle that had begun to fall about thirty minutes ago. Still he refused to let the girl out of his line of sight and when that did happen he would slightly panic and begin sniffing for her. Now that the rain had begun it would be impossible to pick up her scent, so he was following them closer then he should be. One loud growl could alert them to his presence and he did not wish for another confrontation…not yet at least.

Pushing roughly against the ground he leapt a good fifteen feet in the air and grabbed on to a metal pipe. Swinging his body he flipped on to the pipe and jumped to window seal. His mind contemplated on whether to go inside and dry off, but he immediately threw that thought out the window.

Chuckling at his own joke he grabbed the top of the window and pulled up hard and grabbed on to the edge of the roof and climbed up onto it.

"Why am I so determined to protect her?" He growled to himself. "I don't even know her, but I risked my life to save her…and who the hell does she think she is trying to kill me for saving her life?" His growls turned angry as he glared at the survivor and his silver eyes turned to a deep crimson. "That's it! I'm following her to teach her a lesson, that's gotta be it." He nodded his head, smiling at his own brilliance. _"Shit…I gotta stop talking to myself…" _

As he stared down at them he noticed the girls peculiar movements as she looked in random windows and her head spun in all directions. He was about the throw something at her just to make her piss herself when a startling scream broke the misty air.

Letting out a yelp of pain he grabbed his ears and put his head in between his knees hoping to block out the sound. He heard the sounds of the infected running from every direction to the source of the sound. He clenched his teeth as the scream grew louder in pitch. A moan escaped his lips as he released his ears and took off across the buildings heading toward the whatever it was screaming.

Making the jump between the buildings he stiffened as he landed. His leg was still bothering him and kept aching and sending jolts of pain through his body when he leapt. Shaking it off he continued to bound toward the noise.

"_This motherfucker is gonna die…" _Was the only thought running through his head as he made the final jump and skidded to the halt. "There you are." He growled as he stalked toward the figure on the edge of the roof.

Smirking he looked over the edge and saw the survivors standing below and staring intently at him as he continued on his way toward the unknown assailant. Reaching down he grabbed the straightjacket and ripped the thing off the ground and into the air. The scream grew so loud and high in pitch the Hunter let out another yelp of pain and glared daggers at the thing. In one swift move he pushed it backwards and watched it tumble over the edge and heard the sickening crunch as it came in contact with the asphalt.

A cry of fear was heard from the girl and the Hunter grinned in triumph…

"Holy Shit! It's still alive!" Zoey cried as she took a step away from the infected being and quickly made sure her pistols were reloaded.

The Hunter heard her cry and looked over the edge as the thing moved and stumbled into a standing position. At that moment he was so glad he wasn't standing beside the thing because bullets tore threw the air in a fury and the it fell to the ground as a mutilated, bullet-filled lump.

The Hunter took this as a chance to leave as the survivors knelt down beside the now dead figure. He slowly backed up and disappeared from sight. The whole time his eyes were trained on the young woman…

**Zoey POV**

"What the fuck was that?" Francis yelled as he prodded the lump with his foot and laughed when it emptied the contents of its stomach. Zoey and the rest of the group looked at him disgusted and Zoey bent down toward the thing.

"I don't know, but I suggest we get the hell outta here." Bill stated glancing around at the various zombies now moping around on the streets and roofs. The blood of the lump began absorbing the sidewalk as the rain made it spread out further.

"I can't believe their still taking on new mutations. I thought we had already ran into all the special infected…" Zoey said glancing around her uneasily and slightly moving closer to the group as a form of comfort.

"I don't know what it was, but I sure as hell know what we can call it, a screamer. I thought that fucker would never stop screaming good thing that hunter came along and knocked his ass down here." Francis said as he reloaded his shotgun and began to walk away.

"_Real creative Francis." _Zoey thought sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Your right." Louis said standing up and heading toward the direction they were traveling before. "What's with these past two days anyways, with hunters I mean?" Louis chuckled. "Hey Zoey maybe you have a stalker." Stepping away from the strange infected they continued on their way.

"Oh haha Louis, or maybe Francis does…"She smirking at the end of her sentence. Francis glared back at her and grumbled something about gay hunters and assholes. Zoey and Louis laughed which only earned them a glare from Bill as he pointed toward the zombies. Their mouths snapped shut, but their eyes were full of laughter as they looked at each other.

Zoey glanced behind her and up to the roof of the apartment building. Crimson eyes bore into hers and with a single blink they were gone and she was left to wonder if they were ever really there at all…

**Alright haha, so many cheezy jokes in there I know, but I couldn't resist. This was definitely not my best chapter, but I wanted to put the screamer in there, plus Zoey saw her Hunter again. Don't worry dear readers the Hunter and Zoey will meet again in the next chapter.**

**I hope you guys thought it was at least okay and don't forget to review! Plus tell me what you think about that dudes review! XD See ya next time! -HyperChrome-**


	5. Breaking Point

**Woot! Woot! Hey everyone! I'm a little happier about the reviews I received for the last chapter and it has me wanting to write more. it's getting harder to write this story as it goes along because I'm beginning to get hooked on Harry Potter DracoXHermione again. Of course I still love Left 4 Dead, but I feel like no one really reads it. **

**It's been way too long, but now that schools back I barely have anytime with band practices and basketball and other sports. I wrote the ending of this story a few weeks ago, but I didn't get the first part written and I realized it needed way more detail, since the other chapters have been kinda dull…**

**Anyways I'm gonna pull through and finish this story for you guys no matter how long it takes. I'm not sure if I want to throw in some strange parts or not…it really depends on if it will actually fit in there nicely…I don't want to make it really short because, there's no really long HunterXZoey stories on here and it needs one so on with the story! :D**

**Once again I want to give a shout-out to ****Numbuh six-sixtysix****! His reviews continue to amaze me and thanks to him this is where I got the idea for this chapter. I really appreciate it and I hope you continue to review! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN LEFT 4 DEAD…but I do own the game I bought from the store! :D**

**Chapter 5:**

**Hunter's POV: **

His pace quickened as he sped through the airport searching for the anything that could satisfy his hunger. Everyday it was getting harder and harder to control the urge to dine on anything that was edible. Anything…

He had tried to tame his hunger by eating normal foods such as can goods and vegetables, but he had quickly vomited them up unable to keep them down. Sweets had been his second choice and he had actually enjoyed them until he realized he had ate all of them that were probably left in the city.

Now his urge was stronger than ever and the only thing fresh around were the humans he was currently following and he didn't have it in him to kill in cold blood. Though just the thought of blood sent his head reeling and he felt his mouth begin to salivate. A harsh growl tore through his throat as he shook his head vigorously to expel the thoughts from his now food-deprived brain.

"_How long has it been since I ate?" _His memories were jumbled as he couldn't even remember how many days or weeks he had been like this. _" Three…four…" _The frustration was growing inside him and as he passed by a stumbling zombie he took out his aggression..

His claws found purchase in the helpless zombies decaying flesh and he let lose. Tearing and slashing it wasn't long before the zombie was being tossed around like a rag doll and the Hunter was panting from his crazed frenzy.

Slowly the adrenaline began to leave his body and shuddering breaths replaced his frustrated growls. Staring at the now unrecognizable lump his eyes showed regret for what he had done. His anger was gone, but disgust, toward his loss of control, had replaced it .

All thoughts were quickly lost on him however as the most extraordinary smell in the world filled his senses and sent him spiraling out of control. If his pace had been quick before, it was unmatchable now as he sped toward the aroma.

The white floors and the high ceilings of the airport sped past him in a blur as his whole being burned to sink his teeth into the source of the smell. Coming to a skidding halt outside the parking garage he considered going in, but quickly diminished the idea. Instead he leapt to the second level opening of it and then rebounded off the wall and busted through the window of the sky bridge.

Glass tore pieces of his midnight-black hoodie and his flesh, but he didn't care because he could smell that smelly smell that smelled smelly (in the good way) coming from right down the sky bridge hall. Moving at a slower pace he inched toward the rusted-red door at the end of the bridge.

His senses heightened as he smelt not only the strong smell of cooking meat, but also of humans and his ears perked as he heard their audible voices and he wasn't surprised the first voice that rang through the door he recognized. It wasn't a pretty sound as he could hear the fight that seemed to have just started.

"Francis get your nasty hands away from the fucking burgers!" Zoey yelled as she angrily swatted Francis' knuckles with the plastic spatula. Francis let out a startled cry which was quickly replaced with a look of fury as he looked as if he could ring Zoey's neck.

"You're cooking them too much you dumb bitch! They're gonna burn!" Francis' voice was furious as he pointed toward the burgers that were actually looking quite unburned. The room became deathly quiet except for the sizzle of the hamburgers. The Hunter swallowed the growl that had come to his throat when the Francis person had referred to the girl as a "Dumb Bitch."

"Don't you ever call me that again." Zoey stated calmly as she turned toward Francis and her cold blue eyes met his angered, almost black, ones. Francis' lips curved into a nasty smirk as he leaned toward his face and calmly stated "Dumb Bitch."

Suddenly Zoey's fist came around and slammed into Francis' jaw and his head swiveled sideways with a look of shock on his face. He had been in enough bar fights that her punch didn't really faze him, but boy did it send him over the edge. These last two or three weeks had been hell enough and no way was he gonna let a woman punch him and get away with it.

Francis raised his hand in a threatening manner and this is when Bill decided to intervene by stepping in-between the two.

" Woah Kiddos. Let's just calm down!" Bill said as he put his hands up and shook his head. "Francis you're not going to strike a lady when I'm here and if you do you can consider yourself dead." Bill said as his hard eyes stared a Francis with a deadly edge to them.

"I can fight my own battles, so get out of the way." Zoey said as she stepped around Bill and back toward Francis.

"Yeah right. Women can't do anything right and that includes defending themselves." Francis egotistically stated as he laughed at her mockingly.

"Oh really?" Zoey asked laughing "How's this for protecting myself?" Her foot swung out with every intention of connecting with Francis' unmentionables, but luckily, for Francis, Louis had expected her next move and swiftly caught her leg.

All hell broke lose in the room and soon they were all yelling and fighting until smoke began to cover the room and Zoey ran to turn off the stove and remove the now burnt burgers from the skillet. The Hunter could hear her sigh of defeat over the rest of the survivors argument and he felt his heart clench, something about it worried him.

Still more importantly the once heavenly smell was now gone and replaced by the smell of thick smoke. However when Francis tossed the burnt burgers through the safe house door the Hunter realized this was the best he was going to get without killing someone.

So reluctantly he grabbed one of the burgers that were on the ground and bit into it. He gagged, but slowly chocked it down and the seven that were left on the ground. Feeling his stomach churn he curled into a ball outside the door and his eyelids began to droop….

Thirty minutes later he was startled awake by the sounds of screams from a horde of common infected. He quickly stretched his muscles and looked in the safe house, only to realize they were gone and the other door was open. Luckily they had unlocked the door he was on the other side of incase any other survivors made it this far. Pushing the door open he made his way through the safe house and out the other side.

As he looked over the side of the ledge and into the terminal below he could see zombies pouring into it and three of the survivors moving through the horde with barely wnough ammo to clear a path. His heartbeat quickened as his eyes searched frantically for the final member and he finally found her lone figure in the shadows of the terminal corner kneeling next to a corpse with infected sprinting toward her.

His muscles tensed as he pushed of the railing and jumped down into the horde and made his way toward the girl, Zoey. As he broke through the front line of the horde his heart skipped a beat…

**Zoey's POV:**

The weather had taken a turn for the worse so they had been forced to traveled through the airport. Even in the safety of the building they could still feel the thunder shake the ground and see the lightning light up the sky.

They had entered the airport through the back where the main generators, and all other accessories, that powered the airport were located. It had taken awhile for them to reach that actual destination, at least two hours and they were all tired.

Zoey had begun to more and more on edge as the day went on. She was ready to snap if one person said a thing wrong to her and she knew the rest of them all had the same attitude.

Zoey was getting tired of looking at them and sick of listening to Francis complain about how he hated, _"Airplanes, Stairs, Vans, Vampires" _and everything else. All day everyday it consisted of Shoot, Run, Shoot, Run, and it was getting old fast.

The airport had seemed devoid of all life when they had first entered, even the infected, but that didn't last long. It almost seemed as if the all the infected in the area had decided to come to the airport to avoid the rain because they were scattered everywhere in the vicinity.

When they entered the part of the airport right before the parking garage their moods instantly became bitter. A plane similar to the one they had seen early had crashed into one of the sky bridges and had barely avoided the other one. The wings were separated completely and were located all the way across the area. The cockpit of the plane was resting in front of the door they had just exited from and other pieces of the plane had set luggage and walls on fire. Concrete and flooring had been tore up from the impact and the metal gate had been completely ripped down.

Zoey stared at the destruction in front of her with downcast eyes and began to make her way through the rubble. None of them were talking since it was to dangerous to do so without alerting any of the infected. Only their footsteps were heard and a few random gunshots that were fired at the infected who did notice them.

They were all drenched after only taking two steps into the airport. The skylights had been busted out so they're was no protection from the turret of rain that was pummeling down. Zoey tugged her red jacket tighter to her and gave a shiver from the ominous feeling that was growing in her stomach.

They barely managed to make their way around the alarm-rigged car, right before the parking garage, without setting it off and they all relaxed slightly when they entered the garage. Bill took the lead and rounded the first corner of the garage and cried when the hunter jumped on him.

"Shit!" Bill cried out as he was thrown to the ground by the force of the hunter and the breath left his body. Zoey and Louis, who had been watching the back, swiftly turned around and looked toward the direction of Bill's shout. The hunter was just about to begin his attack when Francis' cracked the butt of his shotgun against the top of the hunter's head.

The hunter gave a yelp of pain as he pushed against Bill's torso and leapt away. However as he jumped around the bend in the wall there was a deep grunt followed by a roar and the hunter's limp body slamming against the wall. A Tank barreled around the corner following the hunter's body and immediately set his sights on the survivors who were helping Bill up.

"Ah Fuck!" Francis yelled as he began unloading into the Tank with his pump shotgun. Eight shots later he was trying desperately to reload and Louis and Bill stepped in to deliver cover fire with their UZIs. Zoey shot the last five rounds of her Sniper she had left and then dropped it on the ground when the Tank swung a fist at her. Only centimeters were between her body and his fist, but somehow he missed.

As she sped further away from Tank he slammed the car that was in the center of the garage and sent it flying toward Bill and Louis who were firing bullets at him. The car slammed into the wall beside them and sent pieces of glass flying in every direction and got Louis and Bill's butts moving away from the wreckage. With a few more shots the Tank went down and the survivors took a breather.

All their legs were shaking from the intensity of the battle and none of them were sure if they wanted to continue on. "I'm glad were all together and okay." Zoey said as she looked at them with slightly teary eyes. Louis, Francis, and Bill all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Maybe we should be more careful next time." Louis said looking over his shoulder and into the darkness of the back area of the garage.

"Yeah. That was to close that time and I've had a lot of close calls in my time." Bill said laughing and continuing on to the second level of the parking garage.

Zoey smiled as they began to walk again. _"I'm glad we can always put our differences aside. We're almost a family…we'll a dysfunctional one…" _Her laughter filled the room as the rest of them joined in, even though they had no idea what they were all laughing about.

It didn't take long for them to reach the safe house across the sky bridge and for everyone to get back in their grouchy mood. Zoey entered the safe house first followed by Francis, Louis, and then Bill. As they entered the first thing Francis ran for was the refrigerator, in the corner of the room, and threw it open. His eyes filled with delight at the perfectly good hamburgers sitting on the top shelf.

Somebody must have just recently been here because they were still slightly frozen, but Francis didn't care as handed the package to Zoey and told her to cook them. Zoey's eyes narrowed at his demand, but not wanting to start a confrontation she opened the hamburgers and threw them on the skillet.

Finding a plastic spatula she flipped the burgers every so often as they all chatted about nothing in particular. The burgers only needed about five minutes to cook when Francis decided they were done enough and reached for one. Zoey saw his movement and slammed the spatula down on his knuckles.

"Francis get your nasty hands away from the fucking burgers!" Her voice was angry as she stared at Francis' filthy hands that he probably hadn't watch since the apocalypse started. Francis who had let out a cry of pain glared over at her.

"Your cooking them too much you Dumb Bitch!" His eyes were angry as he issued a challenge to her in a sense. Zoey stopped everything she was doing at his words and turned toward Francis with a look of death on her face.

"He did not just call me that! That sexist pig!" Her thoughts were angry and so were her words a she spoke. "Don't you ever call me that again."

Francis smirked at her with the most irritating look in his eyes. "Dumb Bitch." Zoey couldn't control herself as her fist came around and clocked Francis in the jaw. She was so tired and sick of this whole situation that she had finally had enough. Though when Francis suddenly raised his hand at her she was slightly shocked that he would do so.

Bill took that as his cue to intervene and Zoey was so mad by then she wasn't even sure what he said. "I can fight my own battles. So get out of the way." Normally she would have just let it go and listened to whatever Bill said, but not today. She stepped around him and toward Francis only to be met with his smart remark.

"Yeah right. Women can't do anything right and that includes defending themselves." Francis' eyes dared her to step up to the challenge and she did.

"Oh really?" Zoey asked laughing "How's this for protecting myself?" She had already made up her mind as her foot shot out searching for Francis' balls, but Louis managed to catch her leg and stop her. At that the whole room erupted it yelling and she found herself in the middle of it until the burgers began to burn. She quickly ran over to the stove and turned them off and gave a sigh of defeat at the now black, crispy, lumps.

It didn't take long for them to all start moving again because they didn't want to all be in the same room together. They headed through the offices in the main part of the building and down the escalators into the terminal with no problems whatsoever.

As Zoey stepped off the escalator she swiveled to the left toward the odd noise that came from the corner of the terminal. Old suitcases and pillars blocked her view so she slipped around the pillar, making sure to keep her back against it. She searched the darkness with her eyes looking for any movement and she finally saw it in the corner inn front of her.

"_Is…that a child?" _Her thoughts were confused as she stared a the small form crouched in the corner holding its head. _"What are they doing here by themselves?" _A frown creased her lips as she took a step closer to the human-like figure. Someone's hand suddenly came through the darkness and grabbed her arm. Turning her head she saw Bill shaking his head, but she ripped her arm away and continued on. She was sick of being treated like a helpless child.

Speaking of a girl she realized that's exactly who was crouching in the corner. She couldn't be no more than six years old with her short, blonde, ringlet hair that was currently being mashed down by her hands. The dress she wore appeared to once be pink, but was now smeared with browns and greens and tore up the side of the bottom and on the sleeve. Her shoes were absent from her feet, which were covered in dirt.

Zoey's voice broke the silence that had filled the large room. "Sweetie, are you okay? Trying to soften her voice away from the usual rough one she had these days seemed to work as the little girl slowly lifted her head.

All that met Zoey's eyes were milky, white, orbs on a child-like face. Her voice caught in her throat as the little girl's infected eyes stared at her with no intelligence. Her eyes bled with hunger and her foaming mouth screamed it.

"_No, I….this….please God no…" _Zoey's hand shook as she tried to keep a grip on her pistol. She was breaking down and there was no way to stop it. Weeks of malnutrition, sleepless nights, and horrors had finally taken their toll. The final rope that tied her to sanity had been severed at seeing this small child's terrible fate.

It was over. Her will to survive left her at that moment and chances were she would never recover it. A shot rang out through the terminal and the girl made a gurgling sound before collapsing to the ground. Zoey stared at her pistol as she watched it smoke from the barrel. Her eyes slid to the girls body and then back to the gun clutched in her right hand.

A shout from behind made her glance over her shoulder. A horde was racing toward them and the amount of zombies it contained was unimaginable. They stumbled and swiped at each other as they piled through windows, down the escalators, over suitcases, and through the skylight. Francis' voice was barely audible over the screams.

"We…got…go…FUCK….son….ugh!" Zombies were being shoved away as he spoke as Bill ran to help him keep them at bay. Louis grabbed Zoey's bicep and began pulling her toward where Francis and Bill were shooting through zombies. She stared at his hand before she pulled her arm away. Louis' head whipped around as his frightened eyes met her hopeless ones.

"Zoey, please don't do this!" We're so close. We can escape. You can't die now Zoey, your family to us!" Louis' eyes pleaded with her, but her mind was set. She managed one last smile as she clutched his hand in hers.

"I died along time ago. I just didn't realize it till now." She turned her back toward all of them and walked toward the corpse of the little girl. Louis' eyes filled with tears as he turned toward Bill and Francis and yelled at them to keep moving.

In seconds they were lost in the crowd and Zoey was left alone. The horde surged closer to her as her fingers lightly brushed over her pistol. She wanted to face what she was ready to leave forever. So, as she placed the barrel to her temple, her eyes stayed open.

People say pulling the trigger is the most difficult thing to do. Zoey did it with both eyes open and a steady hand.

**I know, I know I'm a jerk! Such a cliffhanger! Also anybody know the cartoon quote hidden in this chapter? Tell me the name of the cartoon and you get a cookie! :D I really hoped you guys liked it cause this is actually the longest and hardest chapter that I have worked on so far. Please review and I promise the next chapter will be up in the next week or two, since I left such a cliffy. Love you guys and please continue to read! Thanks -HyperChrome-**


	6. Fear The Hunger and The Beast

**Sorry guys I know its been awhile and I'm sorry for how long you had to wait for this next chapter. I hope no one has given up on reading this story do to my very slow updating. My computer crashed and I didn't know how to unlock the hidden files until I looked it up online and then I had to transfer them to the another computer...of course that just happened in the last three weeks...so the rest of the months I was just being lazy and having writer's block. o_o Anyways the next chapter will be up in two weeks...and this time it is guaranteed. So on with the chapter you have long been awaiting!**

**Also sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors, but the word processor on this computer is terrible. **

**One more thing, should I add the survivors from L4D2 into this story? Cause I really like Nick and Ellis…give me your feedback! :D**

**Disclaimer: Left 4 Dead is not mine, it belongs to valve.**

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**Zoey's POV:**

The audible CLICK was lost among the screams of the infected and the familiar sound of a screeching Hunter. Zoey had no time to register the empty clip that her pistol consisted of before a force slammed into her. Her assailant and her tumbled end over end before coming to a crashing halt against the wall. Her head was spinning and she was too dazed to see anything, but bright flashes of light.

When her vision finally returned to normal, her eyes were met with a sharp pair of canines. Zoey's breathing stopped and time seemed to slow as her eyes wandered up the shadowed face to stare straight into blood red eyes. A growl resonated from the Hunter's throat and suddenly without warning he grabbed her roughly and leapt into the air and on to the escalator.

The scream was caught in her throat from the sudden rush of air and adrenaline began seeping into her veins and throughout her body. Rebounding off the wall the Hunter curled himself around her body and broke through the skylight sending shards of glass flying around them. They landed with a splash on the roof do too the excessive amount of rain pouring down. A sting in her elbow told her that she hadn't been completely safe from the glass of the skylight.

In a matter of seconds Zoey could feel the rain soaking through her clothes. The wind was sending the rain into her skin like needles and she could feel the bitterly cold temperature that came with the rain. Ignoring the torrent of rain, she flailed wildly in the arms of her capture in the hopes of escaping. While she was expecting to be released instead she was slammed harshly against the roof, effectively knocking the breath out of her.

Gasping for the breath that was knocked out of her, she opened her eyes to find two glowing red ones staring back at her. She tried to scramble backwards away from her assailant, but was instead held down by his forearm. Finally she recognized the Hunter that was pinning her to the ground and she froze as she made the connection.

When she had seen him other times his eyes had been piercing, but more curious than anything else. Now the longing that clouded his eyes was frightening and she could feel the her desire to die had disappeared. Zoey struck out with her knee catching him between the legs, causing him to groan and release his hold slightly. Taking the opening she needed she grabbed the her pistol that clattered to the roof and brought it swiftly up to connect with the Hunter's head.

Her hopes were dashed away though as the Hunter caught her wrist mid-air, stopping the assault against him. The violent twisting of her wrist caused her to cry out in pain and release the pistol from her grip. Not wasting any time the Hunter let out a snarl and wrapped his clawed hand around Zoey's neck, cutting off her air supply.

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**Hunter's POV:**

The hunger had been bothering him for days, yet he had chose to ignore it, instead he chased after this woman that was now taking her life. Even as he leapt toward her he could feel his mind slipping away from him and a new being taking over.

He felt his heart skip a beat as she pulled the trigger and he couldn't stop the screech that tore through his throat. His enhanced hearing picked up the click through his own screams as he slammed into her and sent them tumbling.

As his body collided with hers, he felt his senses dull and his mind slip further away. Only on instinct did he immediately jump away from the horde and the threat of danger. He could feel his vision begin to blur as he pushed of against the wall. Before he crashed through the skylight he wrapped his body around the girl to protect her vulnerable skin.

His landing was shaky and he almost busted his ass, due to the build-up of water on the roof. The rain seeped through his clothes, but he didn't notice. The battle in his mind was being waged and the animal inside him was winning. The girls spontaneous, wild, movements startled him and he slammed her hard on the ground, pinning her down with his body.

The noises around him dulled out, and the sound of her heart and breathing focused in his ears. Her blue eyes were frightened and full of emotion, while his own vision was dulling and blurring. At that moment he blacked out and he could only feel numbness around himself. It felt like hours, but in just a few seconds his eyes refocused and he saw his hands wrap around her neck and squeeze. Trying desperately to stop himself he gave a startled screech in his head and surprisingly heard a returned growl.

_"The human is ours. We hunger for her flesh and it shall be ours!"_ The slightly distorted, pain-filled, voice was unfamiliar to the Hunter and he let a snarl tear threw himself as a warning.

_"No you don't belong here, this is my mind…"_ He sentence was cut off by the harsh interruption.

_"WAS your mind. Now it is ours. The others gave into us and turned on their kin and others. And now, so will you. Your time is up."_ The voice angered him and he felt himself push hard against whatever control it had over him.

_"She is not yours for the taking and neither am I!"_ His vision began to refocus and he could feel and hear everything around. The girl beneath him, his claws digging into her flesh, the rain sliding down his body, the thunder shaking the earth, and the wind screaming in his ear.

_"Know that we will never leave you and that no matter what you do, we will be there waiting to take what is rightfully ours."_ The voice faded away into the nothing and he was left staring at the bluing girl underneath him.

His clawed hands released her and blood seeped from the wounds on her neck and deep, hand mark, bruises were already forming. She was gasping for breath and choking on the newly found air all at the same time. The rain was washing away the blood and effectively hiding the smell from him. He could still feel a slight tingle in the back of his head and he was trying desperately to ignore it.

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The Hunter stood up and took a step away from Zoey. Her eyes flickered to his form and her breathing slowed down to the point where even he could barely hear it. As he took a step toward her she flinched and scrambled backwards across the roof. The fear was evident in her eyes and she was looking for anyway to escape.

_"What sick son-of-bitch plays with someone before killing them."_ Her mind was reeling and she didn't notice him move until he was bending down in front of her. She couldn't stop the scream of rage that tore threw her throat as she swung her foot up and caught him in the jaw.

His head jolted up and backwards in a painful way and she took the advantage to stumble to her feet and start sprinting to find an exit. It was across the roof, a small square figure with a door, that plainly read "Stairs."

She picked up her speed as she heard a growl from behind and she practically dove for the door and wrenched it open. There was no way to hold the door closed so instead she closed it, to cause a second distraction, and took the stairs three at a time. By the time she rounded the first corner the Hunter had already opened the door and started after her.

Looking down over the side of the rail she saw a break in the stairs a flight down. Swallowing the fear in her throat she leapt over the rail and somehow managed to land on her feet on the floor. Entering the door to the right she shut it behind her and moved quickly through the dark corridors. A flash of lightning lit up the hallway and she froze as she saw a dark figure standing at the end of it. Another bolt clearly showed her in detail what she was seeing.

It stood stock still in black trench coat that swept the floor. Instead of standing on normal human feet, It stood on the tips of three toes with deadly talons sprouting from them. Shredded pants adored it's legs and the shirt was missing from its torso. In its place were rigged reptilian scales. Now that she looked closer she could see the same scales traveling down its legs. A serious of deep scars interrupted the scales pattern and caused it to look more horrific. The things arms were mostly hidden by the coat, but its hands were visible. Three fingers were on each hand, though slightly deformed. A blade grew from the back of the hand and traveled away from the arm and right up against. The part that traveled forward was smooth and ended in a deadly tip. While the part that ran up into the coat appeared jagged, but sharp all the same. Zoey's eyes traveled up to the creature's face, but it was covered by a black, cloth, mask and only the right eye could be seen, which was a was pitch black with a white pupil. The remains of what appeared to be hair stuck out threw some of of the parts where the mask was torn. As it turned to the side to peer into a room it saw spikes angled up going down it's neck and back and leading to a tail with spikes covering,except for the bottom, and going in every which way.

Zoey's feet stood frozen to the ground and she nearly screamed when two hands grabbed her Hunter wrapped his clawed hand around her mouth before the scream could be heard and he pulled her back around the corner where the creature could not see them. Turning her around to face him he put a clawed finger up to his mouth to tell her to stay quite. He relaxed his own tense muscles, released her and peered around the corner at the thing. It took a few more steps down the hall and then it's head moved to look directly at the Hunter. He whipped his face back around the corner as fast as he could and pushed Zoey into an office.

"What the hell is that thing?" Zoey whispered as quietly as she could to the Hunter. He gave a shrug in reply and moved toward the window where a little light was coming through from a street lamp. A noise in the hall made Zoey move beside the Hunter, even though he had just tried to kill her. She felt a hand on her arm and she immediately stiffened and swung her fist at him. Of course he caught it with ease and grabbed her chin and lifted it up.

Releasing her wrist she felt his hand touch the wounds on her neck and heard a whimper leave his throat. She wasn't expecting that and her eyes turned to meet his.

In an almost croaky voice he managed to speak. "I..I..I'm...Sor..Soor...Sorry." His eyes appeared pained as the words were forced from his throat and she didn't know what to say, due to her shock at him being able to speak.

Behind them and through the door they heard something inhale and then go quiet. The Hunter's eyes peered passed her and at the door he had closed a minute ago. Suddenly what appeared to be a sword was thrust through the wooden door and Zoey let out a scream. As the sword disappeared it was replaced by a foot that sent the door flying of its hinges and toward them.

The Hunter grabbed Zoey and took the door to the back, which sent them sailing forward. Zoey's face was protected from hitting the wall by the Hunter's arm, but his own cracked against the window seal and everything went black.

Zoey was left by herself to deal with beast of the creature standing in the door inhaling and exhaling loudly. Her eyes turned to the Hunter's limp form and she quickly used her feet to move the door off of him. As she turned her head back toward the thing it's eye was focused directly on her.

She swung around and threw the window open as fast as she could. Looking back at the Hunter on the ground she hoped she wouldn't regret this later. "Hopefully we don't die." She said as she heaved him out and through the window.

Zoey didn't even know how high up they were, but she didn't give it a second thought as she pushed the Hunter and then herself out the window.

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**Sorry it's short, but I wanted to get it uploaded. Adding the new creature helped me write this chapter because it added something new to the story so that I could keep myself and hopefully my readers interested. Stay tuned to see if Zoey and her Hunter made it! ;} Please Review!  
**

**-HyperChrome-**


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